Democratic Senate hopefuls make final swings through SouthCoast

The long road of campaigning, which has included plenty of stops in the area, is about to come to an end for some candidates seeking to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry. Tuesday marks the primary election in the special election created by Kerry’s resignation and naming as secretary of state. ...

The long road of campaigning, which has included plenty of stops in the area, is about to come to an end for some candidates seeking to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Tuesday marks the primary election in the special election created by Kerry’s resignation and naming as secretary of state. In getting to this point the two Democratic candidates, Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey, both currently congressmen, have gained the support of local leaders.

In the case of Lynch, the communities between Fall River and Taunton have come out strongly to endorse the former state representative.

From the Fall River area, endorsements have come from state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, and City Councilors Linda Pereira and Raymond Mitchell. Among the Taunton-area political sect, Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye and Raynham Selectman Joe Pacheco have backed Lynch, and Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter also announced his endorsement of Lynch during a campaign rally at White’s of Westport on April 9.

Markey has also gained a number of supporters from the region, with Taunton state Sen. Marc Pacheco, joining state representatives Patricia Haddad, D-Somerset, and Paul Schmid, D-Westport, in endorsing Markey.

The candidates have also made appearances in the area to pitch their messages to potential voters, including stops during the past weekend in both Fall River and Taunton. Markey also visited with a packed crowd at Barcelos Bakery, while Lynch received a whirlwind tour of Fall River that included stops along the waterfront, industrial park and the Niagara-Maplewood senior center.

Republican candidates have been seen a little less often in the Democratic-centric SouthCoast. Vying for the party nomination are businessman Gabriel Gomez, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and state Rep. Daniel Winslow. Both Sullivan and Gomez have made stops in Taunton, with Sullivan garnering the endorsement of Taunton Republican state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell.

As the candidates ramped up their efforts in the days leading up to Tuesday’s election, so have election officials in the area.

But while the election will move toward filling a high-profile seat, it may not be on the minds of many voters, fears Fall River Board of Elections Commissioners Chairwoman Elizabeth Camara. Camara noted that the 2011 special election primary to fill the seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy brought out only 14 percent of registered voters for the primary.

“I think it’s going to be a small turnout, even based on the absentee ballots we’ve received,” Camara said. “I’d like to see more, but what are you going to do?”

Being a primary election, voters are permitted to cast a ballot only in the party they are registered in. Those who are registered as unenrolled are able to choose which ballot to cast votes on. Camara said Fall River voters with questions should call the election office at 508-324-2630.